Police Officer killed during arrest

[AGoldenOrange]

Another officer seriously injured

news.sky.com/story/986584/policewoman-killed-during-attempted-arrest

[bureni]

Niceguy 100% agree that the police need more public support and a lot more support from the government who tie their hands behind their backs. Personally I support my police force in any way I can, they are a brilliant bunch of people who deserve our utmost respect at all times. Like yourself I know a few police officers and have also lost a family member due to gun crime while serving with the police.
This thug is a total coward who is now seeking the protection of the police after he shot 2 of their officers, I would like to see him try that in some other countries where the police and legal system was less tolerant.

[JodieHarsh]

Heh. You're right there Bureni - says a lot about our polive force that he knows he'd be safer in the custody of the friends and colleagues of the women he murdered.

So, so dreadful. I have lived in terror of getting THe Call for eight years now, and thank God come November I needn't fear it anymore.

[Donkeysdontridebicycles]

Dreadful news, so sorry for their families.

[DogsCock]

terribly sad news.

[EldritchCleavage]

This is dreadful, and I agree the suspect most likely handed himself in for self-protection.

More pressing than whether to arm police is the question of police numbers. I think we were already under-policed (in sheer numbers terms) before the Tory cuts and I cannot see how policing can possibly do all the things the politicians say they want it to do if numbers are reduced further.

It does not seem that greater police numbers would necessarily have made a difference to this terrible incident, but shouldn't we want the officers who do serve to feel adequately supported?

[JodieHarsh]

Eldritch - this was a revealing piece: [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/10/frontline-police-jobs-cut-election?newsfeed=true 6,800 front-line police officer posts have been lost since the general election]

[JodieHarsh]

Sorry: 6,800 front-line police officer jobs lost since general election

[EldritchCleavage]

Thanks, Jodie, it was interesting.

[TribbleTuckandDismount]

How sad .

My thoughts are with their families.

[NoBloodyMore]

He handed himself in but they think he's left grenades in a vehicle near the police station, it's awful armed police everywhere, bomb disposal units. He's absolute scum shooting at 2 unarmed officers who weren't even Looking for him. RIP to the 2 policewomen involved

[vigglewiggle]

As a serving police officer of 17 years and a mum of two, I am very sad today and I do not want to hear Theresa May's views on how valuable the Police Service is.

[EldritchCleavage]

Probably one of those repellent 'legend-in-his-own-head' twats like Raoul Whatsit who shot poor David Rathband. He will swagger about loving the reputation he gets from all this mayhem.

[vigglewiggle]

And despite this tragedy and despite the Government ripping the arse out of our pensions, I will keep doing the job I love. But if we were routinely armed I would quit in a heartbeat!

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Terrible. RIP to the two officers :(

I personally am glad that the police aren't armed. Not because I think it would result in more shootings, but because I like to think that as a society our gun toting scum criminals are the exception rather than the norm. I realise this makes me idealistic and naive.

[SharonGless]

Rip to my brave colleagues. Two more stars shine brightly tonight girls. Too upset to post more but Vicar, Jodie's DH and others about to start their shift stay safe

[JodieHarsh]

Thanks Sharon. You too

[meditrina]

From what they are saying about the incident, I do not think it could have been anticipated/prevented even with the most highly resourced police force. Cuts may be a subject worthy of debate, but it doesn't appear on news released so far to be relevant to this event.

[JodieHarsh]

My husband has just posted on FB regarding this incident. I won't cut and paste directly but - there are a lot of calls citing firearms as a factor. The protocol would normally state that only armed police should respond. However, there are not enough. So they have to do a kind of risk analysis and determine whether it is indeed a real thread of an armed incident or one of the (many) mistakes or hoaxes. If the latter, unarmed police (such as my DH) will attend.

He has attended many which he ought not to have done. One one occasion, he had to beg to be allowed to take riot squad officers with him to arrest a man known to be dangerous. His Sgt made it very clear he thought DH rather cowardly, not going on his own, but in the end conceded, and a team went with him,

It is good they did, since there was an acid attack (on the news at the time) and 17 officers ended up in hospital. If DH had gone alone, the very best outcome would have been total blindness and years of facial reconstruction surgery.

Of course, effective funding if police posts will not guarantee total safety for all. but make no mistake: this event could be prevented if the police were adequately funded, and had not lost 6,800 posts since the Tories came to power.

[vigglewiggle]

Meditrina - this may have been prevented if GMP had been able to dedicate enough resources to arrest this man in the last few weeks that he has been on the run!

It is relevant.

[NoBloodyMore]

I don't think GMP had a hope of catching him, they're under resourced and he's one of the main gang leaders in one of the big gangs up this way his so called friends would never have revealed his whereabouts. He was also in a completely different area than they were expecting so there was no reason to believe the officers were in danger. The bastard had wired his car up as well they've just carried out a controlled explosion.

[vigglewiggle]

I'm just watching the news conference and having to distract my children with CBeebies so that they don't worry about mummy every time I go to work.

[NoBloodyMore]

He phoned & reported a burglary from that address and then shot the officers dead when they arrived. Utter utter bastard

[OscarPistoriusGirlfriend]

He is scum. Utter fucking scum. Deliberately did this to satisfy
His own fantasies of being "a legend". Bastard. Why did you do this? Hasn't this area got enough bad connections without more area holes like you bringing it back down.

RIP Fiona and Nicola, you did not deserve this, two officers doing your job. The whole area mourns you along with your colleagues. The church overlooking the scene is flying it's flag at half mast.

I would like to add this everyone knew that Cregan was on the estate and GMP
Making out they didn't know is bs. The chopper has been up over and over again in the search for him. Morning, noon and night.

[vigglewiggle]

The Chief Constable made reference to some people's view of 'Folk Heroes' involved in this type of shooting. As Edithcleavage said he was no-doubt seeking this type of notoriety. How sick is that.

[TribbleTuckandDismount]

NoBloodyMore Seriously?! Thats horrid, those poor officers and their families.